Frenetic Amnesic
by kikikimamama
Summary: A mysterious boy wanders into Hillridge with no memories. As he lives with the McGuire family, Disturbing and dangerous memories resurface, and place him, the McGuires, the Gordons, and the Sanchez's into an adventure of titanic proportions. LG, MM.
1. Default Chapter Frenetic Amnesic

Frenetic Amnesic  
  
  
  
Why I seem to get story ideas from songs by CKY is beyond me, but hey, more stories for  
  
you guy's. This story, like "Close yet far," is based off of a song by CKY. This one is Frenetic  
  
Amnesic. This will also be multi-chapter, so expect updates. Enjoy!  
  
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The boy walked down the road, with no particular destination in mind. He was just...  
  
walking. He didn't know who he was, where he came from, or even how old he was. He just existed,  
  
with nothing to exist for. He had walked for a long time, judging by his clothes. His leather jacket  
  
was dusty. His pants faded and ripped. He read the sign in front of him. Hillridge. He tried to  
  
remember something. Anything. Zilch. Nada. Not a single ripple. He walked into the town hoping to  
  
find something that would jumpstart his head.  
  
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"Look, I don't care what you say, I think it makes me look fat." cried Lizzie McGuire. She  
  
was modeling a dress for her boyfriend, David Gordon. They were having a playful argument about  
  
the piece of clothing. Lizzie believed the dress made her fat. David, who went by the name of Gordo,  
  
disagreed completely. This eventually sparked a tickle fight, which led to light kissing, which led to  
  
almost a full-blown make out session, had it not been for her mother.  
  
"Lizzie, I have to..." She walked in on them, which caused them to quickly try to cover their  
  
mistake up. "Make sure you don't make me a Grandmother before my time." Lizzie blushed 10  
  
shades of crimson. "You know I don't mind. Just as long as it doesn't get too bad." "MOMMM!!!"  
  
Jo McGuire started laughing hard. When she finally calmed down, she turned to her very  
  
embarrassed daughter and finished what she had started to say earlier.  
  
"Lizzie, I have to go down to the shelter and speak with an amnesic. Watch your brother,  
  
will you?" "Sure, mom." With that, Mrs. McGuire left to speak with the unknown.  
  
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The boy had been picked up an hour ago by police officers, who dropped him off at the local  
  
shelter. He had been found with an ancient Japanese katana blade, so the police were a little  
  
suspicious. They checked into everything they could find. Not one Japanese sword had been stolen  
  
lately. So it was therefore thought that the sword was his. The boy didn't speak much, he spoke  
  
when he felt something needed to be said, but as he didn't have much to remember, there wasn't  
  
much to tell.  
  
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"Oh, thank god you're here, Jo. The kid won't say a word. He just keeps staring down at the  
  
floor cradling that friggin' sword he was carrying." "Sword?" "Yeah, some old samurai sword from  
  
Japan. He doesn't let it out of his site!" Steve Williams was practically yelling at Jo now. She didn't  
  
mind. She was actually glad he yelled, as he was a very calm man. He hardly ever raised his voice.  
  
But now this kid, whoever he was, was having Steve rip his hair out.  
  
"Has he given a name?"  
  
"Sort of."  
  
"Sort of?"  
  
"Yeah. We asked him and he said Murdoch. We asked if he was sure and he said no. So he  
  
thinks his name's Murdoch but he doesn't know for sure."  
  
"Wow. Poor kid. It must be rough to not have any memory."  
  
"Yeah, I guess. He said that his earliest memories are from this morning, about three hours  
  
before we picked him up. We've had the Doc look at him and he says he's fine mentally. Just can't  
  
remember a damn thing." Steve was referring to the shelter psychiatrist, Doctor Ramsey. He was  
  
more affectionately known as Doc, because of his large body, yet kind nature. Being from the south,  
  
and being African-American, he was always told he wouldn't make it. And yet here he is, a shrink  
  
that helps kids like Murdoch. Doc is also a bit of a joker, playing little practical jokes on people. But  
  
he know's when to stop, so he isn't all that bad a guy.  
  
"So you get to take him home, Jo."  
  
"Me!"  
  
"Yes, you. I already have enough on my hands trying to get this place in shape for the  
  
inspector. You know how stern he is. And besides, you have a way with amnesiacs. You're the best  
  
person for the job."  
  
"Alright." groaned Jo. He was right. She was the best in this kind of situation. She just  
  
hoped that young Murdoch wouldn't try anything stupid.  
  
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"Alright, young man. Your going to go live with Mrs. McGuire here until your brain kick  
  
starts. Until then, you stay out of trouble. And I don't want to see you in here for anything other than  
  
advice or a visit. Take care." The boy didn't respond, a forgone conclusion, and walked to the car  
  
and got in.  
  
"Jo, take care of that boy like he was one of yours. I got a feeling that he might just be on the  
  
edge, despite what Doc says. So, take this." He handed something that looked like a walkie-talkie,  
  
except without a speaker. "If he does anything out of the ordinary, just press the button and I'll be  
  
on the way. If he hurts some one, press it three times."  
  
Jo nodded and went to her car. She started it and drove of with the frenetic amnesic in tow.  
  
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Now remember, this is just to see if anyone likes this story. If I don't get 10 reviews by  
  
Tuesday, I'll take it off the site and continue with the others. If I get the 10, then I'll continue this.  
  
Till next time... kikiki... mamama... kikiki... mamama... 


	2. Revelations

Frenetic Amnesic  
  
You know, I am one stupid idiot for pushing for reviews. But I do have an explanation. You  
  
see, Murdoch has some really dangerous secrets. Secrets that could kill if they were discovered.  
  
Also, this story tends to reverberate a story I did not long ago. Project: Exodus. However, 2 chapters  
  
in, that story got really gory and perverted. As I wanted to avoid any backlash, I took it of the site.  
  
This story will have somewhat graphic descriptions of death, and deal with some strange subjects.  
  
And please don't blame me. The idea just came to me while I was listening to the song "Frenetic  
  
Amnesic." As I heard the lyrics, it sounded like a good plot line. I just added some gusto near the  
  
end. So if you still want to read this story, despite what I said, go ahead, I won't stop you. Just  
  
remember, you have been WARNED!  
  
Abuhin: As for the name Murdoch, I used to listen to a band called Gorillaz. They were a  
  
cartoon band that had some good songs. I listen to them every now and then, but not as much as I  
  
used to. Anyway, one of the cartoon characters in the band was named Murdoch. That Murdoch was  
  
rather grungy, and was a devil worshiper. When I came up with the Murdoch here, that one came to  
  
mind. Mind you, my Murdoch won't worship the devil. That's someone else. Also, did you actually  
  
listen to the song, or did you just look up the lyrics. You should listen man. It's awesome.  
  
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Murdoch was silent the entire time he was in the car. It wasn't like he was trying to be rude  
  
or anything. It was because he was trying to remember. He knew that this town was familiar but he  
  
didn't know how. He wished something would spark inside his head.  
  
"I know I've been here."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I've been here. I know it."  
  
'He's delirious. He thinks he's been here before.' Jo thought. She started to pray that he  
  
wasn't some psycho.  
  
They pulled up to the house. Murdoch was looking at the house, thinking maybe that it held  
  
something of his. They got out of the car and went in. The second he put a foot in, Murdoch was hit  
  
with something. It flashed before his eyes in about a second. A grainy image of someone in a bio-  
  
hazard suit carrying a bundle of something. It looked like clothes. But the sight was over before it  
  
could be analyzed. Murdoch was holding his head like he had a headache.  
  
Jo looked at him. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah. Headache."  
  
"Well, let me get you some Tylenol." she went to the kitchen, leaving Murdoch to his  
  
thoughts. Well, some of them anyway.  
  
He swore this place was familiar. He couldn't quite place it, but he felt like he was home. He  
  
looked around. The house was rather normal looking. Pictures of the family hung on the walls.  
  
There was a spot where people put there shoes. A coat hanger. Normal everyday items. Nothing of  
  
interest to him. He then spotted the basement door and felt some strange attraction to it. As if it held  
  
all of his lost memories. He slowly walked over to it, placed a hand on the door...  
  
"Would you like some tea?" came Jo's voice from the kitchen. This broke Murdoch from his  
  
stupor.  
  
"Yeah. Sure. That'll be fine." He started looking at the rest of the house. He eventually  
  
figured that he might as well enjoy his stay.  
  
Jo walked into the room with the drinks. "Here you are." "Thank you." Murdoch continued  
  
to look at the house with an analytical eye.  
  
"Umm, Mrs. McGuire. Could you tell me what all is around here?"  
  
"Around here?"  
  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
  
"Well, let's see. There's lot's of interesting things here in Hillridge. There's the Digital Bean  
  
near the square for starters."  
  
"The Digital Bean?"  
  
"Yeah. It's a place for kids your age to hang out and have fun. There's also the mall. And,  
  
well, there's plenty of places to go. Just stay away from the lab."  
  
Murdoch, who's attention had started to drift, snapped his head back to attention at the  
  
mention of the lab.  
  
"Lab?"  
  
"Skylar industries. They have some secret underground laboratories on the outskirts of town.  
  
The local kids and teenagers like to speculate that they make mutants or something. But I think that  
  
they're just some military base or something along those lines."  
  
"Are they're any pictures of it?"  
  
At this, Jo looked at him with a quizzical look on her face. 'Why would he want to see a  
  
picture of the lab?'  
  
"Sure. I think there are some in today's paper. Hold on."  
  
Murdoch cradled the tea he was offered. He waited nervously in the living room.  
  
"Here you are." Jo came back into the room with a paper in her hands. Murdoch took the  
  
paper from her and began to read the headline:  
  
EXPERIMENT TURNS FOUL AT SKYLAR IND.  
  
A recent explosion heard at the laboratories of Skylar Industries, has left much of the  
  
suburbs close to the site in fear. Officials say that there is nothing to be afraid of. Word is that the  
  
explosion is the result of a steam pipe overheating, spraying steam on combustibles. Skylar officials  
  
say the mess is being contained and cleaned up. However, this does not explain the sound of gunfire  
  
heard from the site. "It sounded like a war. Just a bunch of machine guns going off, people  
  
screaming, all sorts of shit." said local resident, Howard Gilmore. That said, this reporter must  
  
wonder, why would you need machine guns to contain a leak? However it is not my place to throw  
  
accusations. But it does make you wonder.  
  
"Who writes this shit."  
  
"That would be Mr. Ron Lourden. He likes to write falsehoods about little things and  
  
therefore blow them way out of proportion. Don't listen to him."  
  
Murdoch acted like he listened, but really just filed away the info for later. He had better things  
  
to think about. Like how to get his memory back.  
  
"Mrs. McGuire, where is your bathroom?"  
  
"Second floor, third door to your left."  
  
Murdoch hadn't used the bathroom all day. And he didn't realize it until the tea.  
  
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Lizzie and Gordo were looking in a catalogue for a gift for their best friend Miranda, when  
  
they heard someone coming up the stairs. Assuming it was her mother, Lizzie walked over and  
  
opened the door, midway through a sentence before realizing it was some boy who she had never  
  
seen before. She immediately slammed the door, not realizing that was very bad behavior.  
  
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Murdoch was not perturbed by the sudden strange behavior exhibited by the girl. I mean,  
  
wouldn't you freak if some strange guy was walking in your house? I thought so. Murdoch simply  
  
walked on to the bathroom and relieved himself. As he washed his hands, he took a handful of water  
  
and splashed it on his face. Maybe that would spark something. Instead, it brought a copper smell to  
  
his nose. It took a moment to place the smell, but once he did, the results were not what he was  
  
expecting. Blood! He was smelling blood! The copper stench filled his nostrils. But where was it  
  
coming from?! More importantly, how in the name of all that is both holy and unholy, could he  
  
smell blood?! It didn't make sense!! But then again, certain things didn't make sense with him  
  
involved. But still, this was too much!  
  
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Lizzie came out of her bathroom, having just taken care of womanhood problems. God, she  
  
hated periods. Nothing good came out of them. Except for Gordo being extra nice to her. That was  
  
the only perk.  
  
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Murdoch came out of the hall bathroom, the smell of blood still thick in his nasal cavity. He  
  
sniffed the air, trying to find the origin. He traced it back to the room that girl had come out of. Does  
  
that mean, that the blood he's smelling, is period blood?!  
  
"Damn my luck. I can I smell when a girl is in heat."  
  
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Right. Now that was messed up. Oh, well. Murdoch is mine to do with what I please, so let  
  
him smell blood. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Till next time... kikiki... mamama... kikiki...  
  
mamama... 


	3. The plot thickens

Frenetic Amnesic  
  
Oh, I hate not updating like I should. When was my last update? Too long ago. But this is  
  
only going to be a temporary write. I will be away from any computer for a whole month. So don't  
  
expect any updates for the month of June. Sorry. I'll try to get as much up as I can before then, but I  
  
can't promise anything.  
  
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Ron Lourden was sitting in his office at the Hillridge Handle, the town newspaper. He had  
  
been covering the incident at Skylar Labs for about 3 weeks now, but so far, he didn't have any new  
  
material. Those assholes were keeping the whole thing locked up tight. They only said that the  
  
situation was under control and not to worry. Ron, always desperate for a story, decided to check up  
  
on an old friend who owed him a favor...  
  
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Murdoch had been staying in the basement of the McGuire house for 3 weeks. They had  
  
converted it into a guest room a long time before then, but it was never used before now. He liked it.  
  
It certainly felt right to him. He got up off the couch were he had been watching t.v. and walked over  
  
to the writing table where a single notebook laid. The book was a gift to him from Mrs. McGuire, a  
  
journal. She said that if he wrote in the book and described things, something might just spark his  
  
memories. He didn't really think that would work, but as he was desperate, he wrote like a madman.  
  
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Day 23:  
  
I have been discovering things about my self every day. When I first came to this  
  
house, I was surprised to discover that I could actually smell blood. At first, it reeked. It would fill  
  
my nose with the worst smell. I would often retch into the toilet if I was near a large amount of it.  
  
But lately, the smell hasn't been as overpowering. I also discovered that I have an unusually  
  
accurate sense of placement. I can tell where everyone in the house is by simple methods. Footsteps,  
  
smells, heat displacement. After some experiments involving some rather simple methods, I am  
  
convinced that I am far different from anyone in this house. Or even in this world. For one, I am  
  
extremely smart. Yesterday, Mrs. McGuire was balancing her checkbook. As I walked by, I looked  
  
over her shoulder and noticed automatically that she was off by quite a bit. She soon walked away to  
  
tend to a fight between her children. While she was gone, I quickly made the needed changes and got  
  
away before she came back.  
  
Among increased intelligence, I am also faster, stronger, and stealthier, than any normal  
  
human being.  
  
I am going to test my self further. I have decided to go to a scientist who is skilled in genes. I  
  
have a sneaking suspicion that my skills are connected to my very DNA.  
  
Well, as the British Air Force say: Who dares, wins.  
  
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Murdoch finished his journal entry and closed the book. He had every intention of getting to  
  
the bottom of this.  
  
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At Skylar labs...  
  
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The soldier walked down the hall. He had been through every kind of event you could think  
  
of. He had training in all sorts of problems. He was a hardened soldier. And yet he was still quaking  
  
with fear. It had been 3 weeks since the incident where one of Skylar's experiments had escaped.  
  
And not just some medicine or some crap like that. The soldier of the future. His very retirement  
  
plan. He knocked on the door of the man in charge of this whole thing.  
  
"Come in."  
  
"Sir, we are still unsuccessful at locating Exodus. My men have searched the entire area and  
  
are moving into the nearby town of Hillridge. We expect to find him there."  
  
"Colonel Kramer, I am growing tired of your plan. You have looked and are still unable to  
  
locate my experiment. So this time, you are to take Exodus' brothers along with you.  
  
"Alpha and Omega? Sir, they are still uncontrollable. Alpha still won't respond well, and  
  
Omega still depends on that armor in order to live, much less even breathe. My men are more than  
  
capable of--"  
  
"Of ruining everything. You will take Alpha and Omega. If you can't find Exodus, they  
  
will."  
  
Colonel Kramer knew that their was no way of arguing. He turned and left in a bit of a huff.  
  
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Huh? Alpha and Omega? Exodus? What the hell is going on?! You'll just have to come  
  
back and find out! Till next time... kikiki... mamama... kikiki... mamama... 


	4. Thoughts

Frenetic Amnesic  
  
  
  
Well, hello again. I'm not going to ramble so I'll be brief. When we last left off, Murdoch was  
  
learning more and more about himself, and Skylar was sending out to people by the names of Alpha  
  
and Omega, their purpose being to locate their brother Exodus, whoever the hell that might be.  
  
Well, enjoy!  
  
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Murdoch didn't like the place. He was sitting in the examination room of a man who  
  
claimed he could look at genes with just a single drop of blood. Murdoch had seen him on T.V. last  
  
night. He had been flipping channels, trying to find something to watch. His favorite show, an anime  
  
by the name of Inuyasha, wasn't on that night and he was quickly getting bored. He flipped to a  
  
science channel and found the man- Dr. Smerdyakov- talking about our genes unlocking the secrets  
  
of the universe and other crap that really didn't interest him. At least not until the man started  
  
talking about looking at DNA and manipulating the strands. That caught Murdoch's attention. He  
  
listened more and was delighted to hear that the good doctor was a resident of Hillridge.  
  
So here he was. Waiting on the doctor to tell him the results of his blood-DNA test. And  
  
right on cue, the short man came walking in rather exuberantly.  
  
"Well, Mr. Murdoch. It appears we have one strange DNA sample from you." said the Doctor,  
  
his Russian accent heavy.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Well, uh... Listen, have you seen The Fifth Element, with Bruce Willis?"  
  
Luckily, that very movie was on just last night. "Yeah."  
  
"Do you remember that part near the beginning, were they were looking at the DNA of the  
  
girl?"  
  
"Yeah. When they saw what it looked like."  
  
"Well, you are not the same. Sorry. I always use that film as an excuse to play jokes on  
  
people. Simple joke." He began laughing, only to choke it out as soon as he saw the look on  
  
Murdoch's face.  
  
"Anyway, while your DNA seems to look normal at first glance, but closer examination has  
  
revealed that you have extra genes that were not there naturally."  
  
"Doc, I have no idea what you just said. Could you translate that into English?"  
  
"When someone is born, they are almost always born with the required genes, excluding  
  
those who born wrong. You know, with birth defects. You however, were born with extra genes.  
  
More specifically, you were born with genes that were somehow tampered with. So now simple  
  
things, like running, have been increased to dramatic levels. You said that you could smell blood,  
  
right.?"  
  
A nod.  
  
"Well, that is one example of tampered genes. Increased sensitivity in the nasal cavity.  
  
Murdoch, I suggest you go home and you keep a close watch on yourself. Abilities like this can be  
  
useful. But at the same time, they can be destructive."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Boy, don't you ever read comics?!"  
  
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Murdoch went back to the house and decided to speak with someone at the college about all  
  
this tomorrow. He had heard about a rather smart person who could hack into any computer. He  
  
thought maybe he could get some answers from an online dictionary that only those super Geeks  
  
would have. Perhaps he could find something about all this that would make some sense. He would  
  
just have to wait and find out.  
  
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Lizzie came home from her date with Gordo that night, walking on air. Every moment she  
  
was with him was intoxicating. Almost like a drug. She couldn't stand to be away from him for very  
  
long, so they were going to meet at Miranda's house and stay the night. Maybe even have a little  
  
private romance time! At a quarter till one, she was still up just waiting for Gordo to pick her up.  
  
Right on cue, Gordo's Nissan turned the corner and parked in front of her house, waiting for it's new  
  
passenger. Lizzie climbed out the window, down her roof and ran to the car. She hopped in and  
  
proceeded to lay as many kisses on her boyfriend as she could while holding her breath.  
  
"I see someone missed me during our short time apart." said Gordo, while gasping for air.  
  
"You have no idea. Come on, let's g--" she stopped speaking as she looked at her front door.  
  
It had opened.  
  
"Get down!" she yelled. They were bending over in their seats, praying that they were not  
  
busted. Lizzie peeked over the dashboard of the car and was surprised.  
  
"What the hell!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"What's Murdoch doing?"  
  
Sure enough, the mystery door opener was none other than Murdoch. He had on dark clothes  
  
and strapped onto his back was the katana he had when he was found. He looked like he was sick.  
  
His eyes seemed gaunt and empty of life. Almost white. And strangely, his hair had seemd to take on  
  
a slightly darker tint if that was possible with his raven black hair. It seemed to have a reddish tint.  
  
"Where could he be going at this time of night?" asked Lizzie.  
  
"Maybe he's just getting some fresh air?"  
  
"Why would he be getting fresh air with a sword?"  
  
"Katana." corrected Gordo.  
  
"Whatever. The point is that he is not getting fresh air. Let's follow him."  
  
"Lizzie, no. We have got to get over to Miranda's. Besides, he can probably take care of  
  
himself. I mean, he wouldn't own a katana blade if he didn't know how to use it, right?"  
  
Lizzie thought about this and figured she would just go to Miranda's like planned and then  
  
question him in the morning.  
  
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The next day.  
  
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Murdoch had a splitting headache. He wasn't sure how he got it. He doesn't remember much  
  
about last night. In fact, he doesn't remember wearing these clothes last night. Oh well. He didn't  
  
really care, right? And yet, something was nagging at him from the back of his mind. He quickly  
  
looked in the closet full of clothes that Mrs. McGuire bought him last week, changed into a outfit  
  
that best suited him. Black pants, an Element skate shirt, and a skull and crossbones belt buckle. The  
  
pants were a little big and he didn't like to have baggy pants. Which is why he bought the belt  
  
buckle. He went upstairs for some breakfast to find the family gathered at the kitchen counter staring  
  
at the t.v. Murdoch went over and started watching himself, curious as to what could grab their  
  
attention so well. He soon found out.  
  
"Our top story today: Martial law has been declared on Hillridge by the military clean-up  
  
team of Skylar labs. Much speculation has been flown around as to why they have taken up  
  
residence in our town. Here with us in the studio, is Ron Lourden, a reporter from the Hillridge  
  
Handle, who has been covering the incident at Skylar labs, for about three weeks now. What are  
  
your thoughts on all of this Mr. Lourden?"  
  
"Please, call me Ron."  
  
"Okay. What are your thoughts on all this, Ron?"  
  
"Well, for one I think this whole Martial law thing stretches all the way back to the incident.  
  
You see, it is my personal belief, and the same goes with others, that the incident was not the work  
  
of steam blowing up chemicals or some phony-balony crap like that. I believe that something larger  
  
is going on. In fact, I have it from a reliable source, that Skylar labs. was working on a very big  
  
project. However, something went wrong and now an experiment from that project is missing.  
  
Therefore, Skylar sent it's military team to find the experiment and retrieve it with very little  
  
problems."  
  
"What do you think the experiment might be?"  
  
"Who knows? Could be a stolen weapon or an animal that was accidently sprayed with some  
  
toxin and is being searched for. But whatever it is, it sure has Skylar scared."  
  
"Thank you for your insight."  
  
"My pleasure."  
  
"In other news, a massacre was found in an alley in the back of a club. Police were baffled as  
  
to who or what could have caused the bloodbath, but they are sure that whoever did it, was using a  
  
sword of some kind that was sharp enough to cut through steel. Police chief Sam White states that  
  
the weapon was capable of cutting through bone like a shovel through dirt. We'll have more news  
  
on these two events as they develop."  
  
"Nice analogy." said Murdoch. The family jumped. They had no idea that he was standing  
  
there that entire time. They quickly went back to whatever they were doing before hand, trying to  
  
act normal and uninterested in the news. But Murdoch could tell, by the smell they were all giving  
  
off, that they were afraid of what was unfolding. He could sympathize.  
  
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Well, hope you enjoyed that. It was a bitch to write. I'll explain further about the massacre  
  
and the Martial law in the next chapter. Till then... kikiki... mamama... kikiki... mamama... 


	5. Memories

Frenetic Amnesic  
  
I updated. Yippeee!!! I'm sorry, but having gone this long without updating has done a  
  
serious number on me. I pray that this update, plus your wonderful reviews, will get me back into  
  
the swing of things.  
  
Anyway, just so you know, I'm not dead, I just had to be away from a computer for awhile.  
  
Please don't come after me with pitchforks and torches. I hate running away from mobs. I prefer to  
  
run for sport and exercise.  
  
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Colonel Kramer hated field work. Always did. Ever since the Gulf War. Once he became a  
  
Colonel, and transferred to Skylar's military division, he hoped to never do field work again. And  
  
yet, here he was, looking for an experiment that could kill everyone within a five-mile-radius with  
  
one thought. At this, he shuddered. He didn't mind that Skylar was developing a super-soldier at all.  
  
But the fact that they gave him mind abilities really unsettled him. You don't just give an unstable...  
  
thing... such power. Especially when it's brothers are homicidal maniacs. Speaking of which...  
  
Alpha walked over to the Colonel, fishing for info. Alpha looked almost exactly like  
  
Murdoch, except where as Murdoch had raven black-short hair, Alpha had White-shoulder length  
  
hair. Other than that, they were almost identical. Alpha looked at Kramer, thinking all the while how  
  
pathetic he was.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"What's the status of your men?"  
  
"We are ready to investigate all of the residential homes closest to the lab, and go from  
  
there."  
  
"Good. We'll find my worthless brother at all costs."  
  
"Might I ask why you hate your brother with such a passion, sir?"  
  
"Colonel, when I was younger, I always questioned why, Exodus was always better than   
  
me and Omega in everything. I always wondered why the men that created us were always choosing  
  
Exodus for their missions and not Omega and me. Then I discovered that his genes were far better  
  
polished than us. I always resented him for that. And now that he has escaped, I have permission to  
  
kill him on site. It's the perfect opportunity to prove I'm better."  
  
"You mean 'We're better', right brother?"  
  
"Of course, Omega. We."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Murdoch was having trouble understanding the nerd. The geek, Thomas Jameson, was  
  
having so much fun hacking into the Skylar computer, that he had lost all touch with everything  
  
around him. Murdoch was getting tired of his pointless rambling and considered, for a split-second,  
  
ending the fools life. At that moment, the lights in the building surged and glow with power. This  
  
had been happening a lot lately. Mainly whenever a sinister thought had passed through Murdoch's  
  
head. But like all the other times, he ignored it. He instead focused on the Anime-lover sitting in  
  
front of him.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well, what?"  
  
"Oh, please! You have been sitting there, hacking into Skylar for an hour, and you go 'Well,  
  
what?' What did you find?!"  
  
"Oh, that. Well, apparently they've been working on some super secret project since 1985.  
  
But it's only been truly successful just recently."  
  
"What was the project?"  
  
"Genetically-altered super soldiers."  
  
'Damn.'  
  
"So, in English, what does that mean?"  
  
"Basically, they wanted to make better soldiers. Soldiers that could do almost anything."  
  
"So how did this all start?"  
  
"Well, in the 1980's, Skylar began work on a serum. The serum was originally designed to  
  
eliminate normally incurable diseases. But when they injected it into a soldier, they discovered that  
  
his physical and mental stats went way up. They examined the serum closer and discovered that the  
  
serum, instead of targeting and destroying the molecular structure of disease, targeted the genetic  
  
structure of humans, and spliced itself, creating more genes that latched onto the host and gave them  
  
new abilities. However, there was a side effect..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The serum would only work if it was directly written into the DNA of the host, before birth,  
  
while the subject was still in the first few months of pregnancy. If injected after birth, the serum  
  
would simply latch onto the DNA and not actually become it. So in an effort to try and become one  
  
with the DNA, the serum will begin to rewrite the DNA of the host."  
  
"So what's so bad about that?"  
  
"Rewriting DNA in a living, breathing, thing can kill them. Horribly."  
  
"So it has to be written in with the rest of the DNA?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"What else?"  
  
"Well, they found 20 pregnant women, rounded them together and gave them each a little  
  
pill."  
  
"A pill? I thought the serum had to be injected?"  
  
"They made it so that it could be ingested. It would be swallowed by the mother, but absorbed by  
  
the child."  
  
"The things they do with science."  
  
"Apparently, only three children survived, as the pill somehow caused the others to be  
  
prematurely born."  
  
"And those three?"  
  
"Their mother's died as a result of natural deaths, or at least that's what they say. So Skylar  
  
took custody of them. And trained them."  
  
Just then, Murdoch had another memory surface, this one longer than the other he had when  
  
he first stepped into the McGuire house...  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"But Angela, why is it we have war?" The young child asked his teacher and mentor.  
  
"Because, Exodus, people tend to disagree about things. So much that they fight with large  
  
weapons. It's just our nature, I suppose."  
  
"I think it's wrong."  
  
"I'm glad you do. Personally, I think that no one has the right to take the life of another, for  
  
any reason."  
  
"But then why are me and my brothers taught how to kill?"  
  
The young woman thought for a second. She was rather attractive looking, with long brown  
  
hair, hazel eyes, a tanned complexion despite being in the lab a lot, and the face of an angel. No  
  
wonder Exodus was in love with her before he even knew what love was. She was not only attractive  
  
but rather brilliant and loved life despite her working environment. She was one of 5 total female  
  
employees in the entire lab. This meant a lot of bad things happened to her. She was constantly  
  
whistled at, the men were always feeling her bottom, all sorts of stuff. However, she was a black belt  
  
in Karate, so she was capable of handling her own.  
  
"Because they want you to be able to protect yourself and others from very bad people." She  
  
knew that was a lie. But damn, he was only five. He didn't need to know the whole truth. Besides,  
  
maybe if he took that to heart, he wouldn't use the training he was being given.  
  
He seemed pleased with this answer, as he nodded and went back to staring at the clouds  
  
through the window of his room. For someone who was originally meant to be a super soldier, he  
  
didn't act like his brothers. Alpha and Omega embraced their destinies and enjoyed killing. Exodus  
  
didn't. He hated death and couldn't even stand the sight of blood. Angela hoped that Exodus  
  
wouldn't turn out like his brothers.  
  
"You know what? Your name, Exodus. It's too, official. Let's give you a new name."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Let's see. How about... Mike!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"No? Okay, Roy!"  
  
"Definitely not!"  
  
"Okay. How about... Murdoch?"  
  
Exodus thought for a second. It sounded ok.  
  
"I like it."  
  
"Okay, Murdoch it is. I like it too. It was the name of my husband."  
  
"Where's he?"  
  
"He's gone. To a wonderful place called heaven."  
  
"Can we visit him?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
Murdoch/Exodus didn't notice the silent tears that slowly flowed down Angela's cheeks. He  
  
would shed the same tears in a short time.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Well, that explains some things."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Not bad for my first chapter back. Once again, I apologize for my tardiness. Also, I did not  
  
mean May 25, I meant June 25. Sorry for the confusion. 


	6. The past

Frenetic Amnesic  
  
Another update? I'm on a roll! Anyway, I have been neglecting the Matt/Miranda sub-plot,  
  
and for that I'm sorry. I've been so busy trying to get you all used to Murdoch that they kind of fell  
  
to the side. Also, Yin-yang 2 is on hiatus, but not done! I'll try and update that next.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Matt was glad to be home. He had been away for the past 4 weeks, visiting his old friend  
  
Lanny. Lanny had moved away a year ago, and him and Matt promised to keep in touch. Recently,  
  
Lanny's mother had died, so Matt decided to visit and console his old friend. But now, he was back,  
  
and happy to be back. Mostly because this meant that he would get to see Miranda. He had a crush  
  
on her when he was younger and instead of dying out, it grew into love. He hadn't told her yet, but  
  
he was planning on it. He had it figured all out. Warm up to her, be her friend, and then tell her. It  
  
sounded simple in his head, but he knew it would be a lot harder to do than to think.  
  
He pulled up to his old home in his van, seeing right away his family, waiting for him. And  
  
with them was Gordo and Miranda. Upon seeing her, his heart fluttered and he automatically  
  
thought, 'This is going to be tough.'  
  
He got out and was immediately surrounded. Hugs were thrown like baseballs, And Matt  
  
struggled to find breath.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"So how was your trip, Matt?" asked Lizzie.  
  
"Pretty good. I cheered Lanny up by taking him chick hunting."  
  
"Matt McGuire, did you really go chick hunting?"  
  
"No Miranda. I'm just kidding."  
  
"Why would you care, Miranda?" asked Gordo.  
  
"I don't! I just..."  
  
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Mrs. McGuire went and opened the door to find a  
  
soldier staring at her. Behind him were more soldiers with chemical suits and gas masks on.  
  
"Excuse me, Ma'am. We're with Skylar labs. We have been sent to check your house for  
  
any possible chemical exposure you should be aware of. May we come in?"  
  
"Alright."  
  
As the soldiers came in, they filed through the house with strange equipment. But the  
  
strangest of all was that they were carrying tranquilizer guns. They continued through the house  
  
with precision, as if they knew their way around.  
  
"May I ask as to why there would be chemicals in our house we don't know of?"  
  
"Simple Ma'am. That leak at the labs not long ago. Skylar want's to make sure there's no  
  
harmful products floating around, hurting people. By the way..." He turned towards her. "One of my  
  
men is missing. You wouldn't have seen this man would you?" He held up a picture. The face on it  
  
was faintly familiar. His hair was shoulder length, black with a red tint. The face sculpture  
  
resembled Murdoch except it seemed a little younger.  
  
"No, I haven't. Sorry"  
  
"That's alright. If you do see him, just call this number and tell whoever answers where he  
  
was. Thank you." He handed her a number, motioned to the other soldiers and left.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The rest of the night passed with little event except for the continued reunion of Matt and his  
  
family, and Murdoch coming in at 10 from who knows where. After everyone left to get ready for  
  
bed, Gordo decided it was time for him to head home, leaving Matt alone in the living room with  
  
Miranda.  
  
"I missed you, Matt."  
  
"I missed you too, Miranda. Was it boring without me here to wreak havoc?"  
  
"Way boring. I couldn't stand it."  
  
"So what is it with Murdoch?  
  
"I don't know. Apparently he just showed up at the shelter with no memories and no one to  
  
take care of him, so your mom took him home to try and help him."  
  
"Is he always that depressing?"  
  
"He's actually getting better. He was really bad when he first got here from what I heard  
  
from Lizzie. But, yeah, he is pretty depressing."  
  
An awkward silence fell between them, each too shy to admit feelings for the other. Finally,  
  
Miranda decided it was time for her to go.  
  
"I'll be by tomorrow, later."  
  
"Later."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Meanwhile, in the basement, Murdoch was crying his heart out. He had finally recovered his  
  
memories. Every single one. He knew who he was. He was Exodus. A super-soldier designed to kill.  
  
But he couldn't forget the words of the woman he first loved. "No one has the right to take the life of  
  
another." As he continued crying, he relived the past.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
5 years ago...  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Murdoch/Exodus walked down the hall, looking for Angela. She hadn't showed up for  
  
awhile and he was getting worried. Thoughts started forming in his head as to what happened to her.  
  
A lot of them he couldn't bear. He had to find her. At that moment, his sensitive hearing picked up  
  
her voice. It was quiet, as if she was silently begging. But the word she spoke rang clear in his head.  
  
Help. He picked up his pace to where he had heard the sound from. It lead him to a dormitory. He  
  
knew this wasn't Angela's room, so why would she be here? He jerked open the door and almost  
  
fainted at what he saw. Angela lying on the floor, half-naked, bleeding from numerous cuts all over  
  
her body and barely alive.  
  
"Angela!!!" Exodus ran over to her and gently picked her head up and laid her in his lap. He  
  
could tell that she had been raped and beaten. She looked up at him, and smiled. No matter what  
  
happened to her, she could always smile by seeing him.  
  
"Angela! I'm sorry, I should have been here! I..." He stopped. Her hand was on his face, and  
  
she was struggling to say her final words.  
  
"Murdoch, You have to be strong. I won't be here for you anymore. Remember my words."  
  
"Please, Angela. Don't go. I need you. I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Murdoch. Remember, no one has the right to take the life of another.  
  
Remember that." With that, she closed her eyes and exhaled.  
  
"Angela?" Nothing.  
  
"Angela!!!" It was too late she was gone.  
  
"I'll remember your words Angela. Always."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
2 years ago...  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Exodus shows great promise as a soldier. He's fast, strong, smart, and decisive. However,  
  
there is one flaw. He won't kill anyone!"  
  
"That's because of Angela's meddling. She drilled that nonsense into his head and he loves  
  
her so he'll go by nothing else. But we'll eventually fix that. Won't we, Exodus?"  
  
Exodus looked up at the man who had been his teacher since Angela died. Ryan Baker was  
  
his name. And Exodus hated him. Because he knew it was him that killed Angela. Exodus could  
  
smell the man's scent all over her. When Exodus saw Ryan again, he nearly killed him. So they  
  
installed the inhibitor chip at the base of his brain. That very chip prevented him from killing Ryan  
  
Baker now. But he would soon...  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
1 month ago...  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Exodus opened his eyes. It was like he could see clearly for the first time in 5 long years.  
  
The inhibitor chip isn't on. He's free. They're coming. Time for revenge. They assume he's still  
  
docile. They open his container. He attacks. He retrieves his weapon, his sword, his life. Escape!  
  
That's what his brain is telling him. Run! He continues to run. The colors of the world blur together.  
  
Nothing but gray. Than red. Lot's of red. He hears gunfire. He feels extreme heat. Then sees nothing  
  
but black. He's at a rest station. He see's people. He realizes he needs new clothes. He follows a man  
  
into a bathroom. He knocks him out and steals his clothes. He walks down the road, unnoticed. He  
  
walks far and eventually falls, exhausted from the previous night. He hits his head on a rock, and  
  
from there his memories go blank.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Exodus knew now that they would be looking for him. He also knew that Ryan was still  
  
alive. He decided to find and kill Ryan Baker... 


	7. Hostage situation?

Frenetic Amnesic  
  
Once again, I bring you a new chapter. Enjoy! Oh, and Jersey Princess, it's going to be a little  
  
random for a little while as I am describing only what's interesting. I mean really, do you want to  
  
hear about what Sam's doing when Murdoch does something strange, like smell blood? I didn't  
  
think so.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Matt woke up to the sun shining in his face. He suddenly felt alive and refreshed. He then  
  
remembered that Miranda was coming over today. He jumped out of bed and ran to the shower. He  
  
was going to try and impress her today, so everything had to be right, including his body odor. As he  
  
bathed, he thought about how perfect she really was. How she always dressed how she wanted and  
  
not how other people wanted, how she always stood up for herself. She was just perfect in his eyes.  
  
He got out of the shower, dried off, clothed himself and went downstairs.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Murdoch decided to be a little nicer to this family. After all, they did take him in when he  
  
didn't know who he was.  
  
'Don't think about your past Murdoch. Concentrate on your future.' He smelled smoke,  
  
turned towards the toaster, and yelped. 'Or better yet, concentrate on breakfast.' He quickly  
  
removed the now carbonized toast from the toaster, sniffed it, and promptly disposed of it.  
  
"Well, so much for toast. They'll just have to deal with eggs and bacon."  
  
"Is something burning?" asked Matt as he came in.  
  
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, I accidently, um, kind of, really toasted the toast. You could break a  
  
tooth. So it's just eggs and bacon."  
  
Matt took the food without question and dug in. He was pleasantly surprised.  
  
"Oh, wow. I mean wow. Th-There's an orgy in my mouth."  
  
"Oookaay, I'm not sure wether to take that as a compliment or insult."  
  
"Compliment. Damn, where did you learn to cook?"  
  
"Oh, I was a bookworm when I was younger. And I love food, so I like to think that if your  
  
going to eat, make it tasty."  
  
Matt looked at him like he was crazy.  
  
"Alright, alright. I'm just a good cook. You dare question good fortune?"  
  
Matt shrugged and continued eating. Soon the entire family came down and were giving  
  
Murdoch compliments on his cooking. Murdoch took them with grace and hoped they didn't  
  
discover the toast.  
  
"Hey, is this burnt toast in the garbage?" questioned Lizzie.  
  
"Uhhh, yeah. I-I kind of b-burnt the toast." Boy, if there was one thing he was easily  
  
embarrassed about, it was when he didn't cook something right.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Well, I gotta go McGuire's."  
  
"Why, Murdoch?" asked Mrs. McGuire.  
  
"I just have to speak with someone about my katana. See if it's worth anything. I actually  
  
remember why I have it. I just have a thing for swords and I had just bought this sometime before I  
  
lost my memories. Well, later."  
  
That wasn't true. Murdoch had selected it as his preferred weapon of mass destruction,  
  
before Angela had taught him the better things in life.  
  
He had only taken a few steps before he bumped into a girl. 'Should really watch where I  
  
step.' He shook his head and realized he had bumped into Miranda.  
  
"Sorry about that Miranda. If your looking for Matt he's still eating."  
  
Miranda was dumbfounded. How did he know she was here to see Matt? Could he read  
  
minds? She got up, turned to thank him, and found herself staring at his retreating back a few blocks  
  
down.  
  
"Wow, he runs fast." She just shook her head and went to the door.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Murdoch began running as fast as he could. He wasn't really going to see what his katana  
  
was worth, he was going to speak with Thomas. They had actually become good friends. They both  
  
believed that no one can decide the fate of another, they both loved cooking, and they also had a  
  
deep appreciation of anime. Mainly the show Trigun. He was going to see if he had the program  
  
ready. Thomas had been working on a new program that was supposedly the ultimate in simulation.  
  
It was known as VR training. Thomas said that it so perfectly mimicked the real world that it would  
  
be impossible to tell the difference. Thomas had called saying that it was ready for testing, and that  
  
Murdoch would be the first person to test it.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Well, Murdoch. What do you think?"  
  
Murdoch had just ended a session with the program. He was a little confused. He thought he  
  
was on a tanker in the middle of the ocean. It was taken over by terrorists and it was Murdoch's job  
  
to end their attack with no deaths. He had succeeded, but he still couldn't believe it was just a  
  
simulation. He thought he really did stop a terrorist action.  
  
"Tom, that was probably... No. That was the most accurate simulation I have ever seen. Not  
  
even Skylar could think of that!" Murdoch had confided in his new friend who he was and was  
  
surprised to find that Tom had been a scientist with Skylar. He had left for reasons that Murdoch  
  
was pretty sure might have something to do with him and his brothers. But as Tom never talked  
  
about it, Murdoch wasn't too sure.  
  
"Well, it was designed by a genius, I'd imagine it would be the best. So do you think I  
  
should give it to the military?"  
  
"Yeah, but not just yet. I like this thing. Maybe we should hold onto it a little while longer."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it's fun as hell! Besides, if you get hurt, it doesn't matter! You just restart and  
  
keep going!"  
  
"Murdoch! This is not a toy! It's designed to train you even further in your skills, not to  
  
entertain you when your bored with all of your other video games. Got it?"  
  
"All right, you party-pooper. I get it."  
  
"Good. You want to go another round? Bomb disposal this time."  
  
"Nah. I'm going to the Digital Bean and getting me some curly fries! I swear, they tampered  
  
with those things to make them that tasty. I'm hooked!"  
  
"Yeah, I know. Later. I'm going to mess with the VR some more."  
  
"Alright, later."  
  
Murdoch walked out the door, leaving Tom to his computer, where he began to type  
  
furiously. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Murdoch, a couple of idiots had just taken hostages at the  
  
Digital Bean, hoping to get a ransom off of Kate's parents, Kate being one of the hostages. Murdoch  
  
had gotten to the DB, however he had his CD player on and was jamming to Linkin Park, with his  
  
eyes closed. So he never saw the police barricades. He never saw the guns that were pointing at him  
  
from the windows. He never heard the police chief yelling at him, calling him an idiot. He never  
  
heard the gunshots. And because he was dancing, he never felt the bullets that were flying past him.  
  
He just danced his way up the steps, to the door, and flung them open. The second he did so, he  
  
immediately felt 3 guns pointing at him, and smelled gunpowder. He took off his shades, unplugged  
  
his ears and looked at the scene around him. One shotgun, and two handguns were pointing at his  
  
face, and the people holding them were questioning his sanity and intelligence. He simply looked at  
  
them and said "Uh-oh."  
  
And then he screamed like a girl.  
  
"AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! SOMEBODY HELP!!! KIDNAPPERS!!!!! SOMEBODY HELP  
  
ME PLEASE!!!!"  
  
The police outside sighed and added one more hostage to the list. Meanwhile, Murdoch was  
  
being tied up, all the while protesting. Once he was properly tied, they threw him to the wall, where  
  
he landed with a thunk.  
  
"Ahh, jeez. Couldn't you be a little gentler? I won't try anything, honest! Here you can even  
  
take my sword, see?"  
  
"What kind of person uses a sword these days?" said one particularly large man as he took  
  
the sword.  
  
"Someone who's too stupid to use a gun without getting killed that's who."  
  
"Hey can I have it back when your done? I'm kinda sentimental about it."  
  
"Shut up!" and with that, they kicked him to the floor, Where he landed on the knees of  
  
another hostage, who just so happened to be Miranda!  
  
"Hey, Miranda! What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, I was here with Lizze, Gordo, Matt, and Kate, when these guys just waltzed in and  
  
started taking hostages. And how was your day?"  
  
"Well, it was going good until this happened. Then it just turned to shit real fast. What do  
  
these guys want?"  
  
"They want my money."  
  
Murdoch looked at who spoke and found Kate lying on a counter, tied from head to toe, and  
  
looking extremely depressed at this.  
  
"Well, hello Kate. Doing good?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"All of you shut up!" The leader of the group had spoken and he wasn't happy about it. He  
  
was trying to negotiate with the cops, hoping to get his demands with little trouble. They had 5 hours  
  
to get the money to them. Or else.  
  
"You think they'll get the money on time, Boss?"  
  
"They better. If Sanders loves his daughter, he'll get the money."  
  
"All of this is about money? Jeez, you suck!"  
  
They turned to Murdoch, walked over and stomped him repeatedly. And Murdoch was  
  
screaming like a wussy the entire time.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Meanwhile, Sanders was outside with the police, discussing what should be done.  
  
"What should I do? Do I give them the money?"  
  
"That would be the safest way. But we should look at other ways to get these crooks. They  
  
can't be that bad." Suddenly, Sanders had grabbed the Chief by the lapel, and was an inch away  
  
from his face.  
  
"That's my daughter in there, Chief. You better get her and her friends out of there  
  
unharmed, or your wife will filling out your life insurance claims."  
  
"That's a pretty big threat from someone with your history."  
  
"And that's exactly why you should get her out of there. I may not be a crook anymore, but I  
  
still have friends who are."  
  
"You got it."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Inside, Murdoch was getting even more appalled by these thugs attitude toward woman.  
  
"I still think that tying a woman up like that counts as bad etiquette. Then again, this is Kate  
  
Sanders..."  
  
"Look, if you punks want pocket money, I can easily scrape that from my daddy."  
  
Kate had just said the wrong thing. Almost immediately, one of the men came over, and  
  
placed the barrel of his gun right in her mouth, ordering her to scream for her life. When she didn't  
  
comply, out of the obvious fact that she was paralyzed with fear, he pulled the trigger.  
  
However, the gun did not go off. The leader of the group had grabbed the hammer of the gun  
  
right as the man cocked it, keeping it from firing. This had everybody spooked, Murdoch especially.  
  
He was cowering behind a couple of tables that had fallen over while the leader was sprinting  
  
towards the two, and was hoping for a peaceful like ending.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Outside...  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"How's it going? Have we finished getting their demands met?" said the Chief.  
  
"Yes sir. $1,000,000 and a truck for safe transportation. They are on their way over."  
  
"Good. We'll get those thugs by sundown."  
  
"Better hope these men you hired will get my daughter and her friends out of there, Chief."  
  
"They will. They're from a rival gang. They hate the men inside and will take care of the  
  
problem easily."  
  
"Here comes the truck, sir."  
  
"Showtime."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Hey, look! Look! Something's coming! Something's coming!" said Murdoch, who deftly  
  
avoided a bottle that was thrown his way.  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Hey, boss! It's the truck!"  
  
"About damn time!"  
  
The truck pulled up in front of the DB, and one police officer stepped out, holding a  
  
briefcase full of money. The officer set it down in front of the truck and ran back to the barricade.  
  
"Alright, we have met your demands! Now release the hostages!" said the Chief over the  
  
megaphone.  
  
"Not quite yet! We're coming out to inspect the truck! Try anything, and the hostages get  
  
it!"  
  
The leader looked around and decided to send one of his men out to inspect the truck.  
  
"I'll do it."  
  
"Alright, John. Be careful."  
  
The man walked to the truck. He checked it closely, making sure nothing was suspicious or  
  
out of place. As he looked into the passenger side mirror, he saw a face.  
  
"Oh, shit!"  
  
He turned and ran back screaming.  
  
"It's a trap!" He didn't get to say much else, as a gunshot ripped through the air and put him  
  
down. From a distance, it would seem as if he was dead. But he had been hit in the shoulder so he  
  
was lucky. Someone should have told that to the other guy.  
  
"I'll kill those bastards!"  
  
"No, wait Richard!" But it was too late. The man who had shoved his gun barrel in Kate's  
  
mouth, stampeded for the truck, which had started up and was now careening for the Digital Bean.  
  
He stopped and decided this wasn't a good idea and ran away, only to be hit by the truck. However,  
  
it wasn't bad enough to kill. Just leave a few broken bones. The truck ran right into the front of the  
  
DB, leaving it wide open. The rival gang members poured out and began shooting almost  
  
everywhere. The hostages, who were thankful that their feet weren't tied up, started scrambling for  
  
cover. Poor Kate was left to lie on the counter. But Murdoch wouldn't hear of it. He skillfully  
  
dodged the bullets, and yanked Kate off the counter and down behind it.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Hey!" The gang leader had hidden behind the counter as well, and was now looking at  
  
Murdoch, who had just realized he forgot to slip back into his ropes when he had finished rescuing  
  
Kate.  
  
"How did you get out of your ropes?!"  
  
"Just skill."  
  
"What are we gonna do?" asked Miranda.  
  
"I have no idea." said Murdoch. They suddenly heard the rival gang talking.  
  
"Can we kill anyone?"  
  
"We can kill anyone but the Sanders kid! She'll be a blonde, with large breasts."  
  
"So I can kill this guy?" He was talking about Matt, who had failed to move, and yet was  
  
missed buy the bullets.  
  
"Sure, why the hell not?" Murdoch's eyes suddenly looked seething with hatred. In a flash,  
  
he hopped over the counter, grabbed one of the guns that had fallen on the ground from the punks,  
  
and aimed it right into the face of the one who wanted to kill Matt.  
  
"You know what, Friend? Anyone tell you that you lack moral?"  
  
The gang member looked as if he was about to cry. He knew his death was imminent. And  
  
yet time still ticked on, and Murdoch had not fired.  
  
"What are you waiting for?! Just shoot him!!!" The leader yelled at him to finish it. But  
  
Murdoch just stood there with the gun cocked, and in the gang member's face, running decisions  
  
through his head.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Wow, that was long typing. I hope you enjoy it! Kikiki... mamama... kikiki... mamama... 


	8. Situation resolved

Frenetic Amnesic

As usual, my apologies for being so slow. I've been trying to update an older story and I have writer's block for it. So I figured I'd write this chapter. Maybe I'll be able to get an idea.  
Anyway, when we last left off, Matt had come home, Miranda showed hints of interest in the boy, and Murdoch had accidently stumbled into a hostage situation. To be more in depth, when I ended the last chapter, Murdoch had a gun pointing at a thug who had come in with other thugs to try and save Kate. He hadn't fired though.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
_"What you waiting for?! Just shoot him!!!" The leader yelled at him to finish it. But Murdoch just stood there with the gun cocked, and in the gang member's face, running decisions through his head.  
_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
'What do I do? Do I shoot him?' Murdoch stood there, his eyes blank and unreadable. The gun was still cocked and ready to fire, but Murdoch made no move to pull the trigger. Instead, he did the opposite. He lowered the gun. He stood there breathing rather shallow, and looked as if he was on the brink of tears. The gang members all pointed their guns at him, but he didn't really notice. He felt detached, as if he wasn't really there. As if his body was just a shell, and the real him had just left.  
Suddenly, he was standing on a beach. The sea air was whipping him in the face. He had been here before in countless dreams and visions. And there, standing just on the shore, a few feet in front of him, was her. Angela, the woman who had steered him in life. The woman who had taught him his strict standards and gave him her morals to use for his own.  
"Angela, what do I do?"  
"Murdoch, you already know what to do. Remember what I always told you?"  
Murdoch thought back to all those conversations he had with her.  
"No one has the right to take the life of another."  
She turned to face him. As she cupped his face in her hands, he felt like he would cry. The pain he had felt when she died resurfaced, threatening to force him on his knees in grief. She looked at him and said something that, at first, was inaudible. But as he returned back to the DB, he suddenly realized what she had said to him.  
"Do what your heart says is right."  
He understood what she meant, and as the thugs cocked their guns ready to fire at him, he quickly fired.  
Soon, every one of the thugs who had burst through the DB, were on the ground clutching the various non-lethal parts that Murdoch had shot. Arms, legs, feet, and hands were all bleeding,  
but no fatalities. Murdoch, the hostages and the men who had taken over the Bean, or rather the two that were left, walked out and toward the police. Murdoch checked on the men who had gone outside earlier. Neither were hurt too badly. They would live. As it were, the men were arrested and everyone was safe. The gang members who had been hired were all taken to the hospital where they were taken care of, and then arrested for unnecessary and dangerous force. Everything seemed to have a happy ending.  
But the leader was so astonished with Murdoch, he wanted to speak with him for a second.  
"That was some good shooting back there."  
"Thanks."  
"Where did you learn to handle a gun like that?"  
He'd taken some gun courses when he was still being trained back at Skylar. But he wasn't going to tell him that.  
"A friend taught me."  
"After seeing you in there, I want to know why you use a sword instead of a gun?"  
"I'm better with a sword."  
"Well, then I'd hate to be on the wrong side of the blade. Since you don't have a gun of your own, use mine." He presented an old colt .45 from his jacket pocket and handed it to Murdoch, who took it reluctantly.  
"She's been very helpful to me. She might do you some good."  
"Thanks. I'll remember this. I'll put it to good use."  
The man walked off with the police to be placed in custody. Murdoch looked at the gun. It was crafted well. But he didn't really need it. Or did he? He decided to save it for later use. He pocketed it and turned to walk toward the McGuire house where he would, no doubt, be bombarded with questions about what happened.  
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There you go another chapter. I hope you liked it. I'm going to try and turn Murdoch into a lovable idiot who is a lot smarter and more complicated than he acts. Really, do you always want him to be so serious? This was my first chapter at making him more lovable and I hope I did okay.


	9. The Party

Frenetic Amnesic

I really am sorry about not updating. A lot has happened, from Hurricane Ivan all through Christmas and New Years, I've been busy. And it doesn't help that I got some awesome stuff for Christmas and my birthday. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Tony Hawk' Underground 2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Way of the Samurai 2 have all been leaving me with some sleepless nights.  
I truly am sorry about no updates, and I hope this new chapter will satisfy you a little.

It was a week after what unfolded at the Digital Bean. Everyone had gone as close to normal as they could get. The repercussions of that day could still be felt by everyone. If that had happened, what else could befall Hillridge? And the military presence of Skylar did not help in anyway. With the enforcement of a curfew, more people had been arrested by Skylar's forces than by the police. Soldiers patrolled everywhere, even inside the schools. Everyone in Hillridge had their own opinion on the soldiers and their presence. Some felt that their being there would drop crime and make Hillridge safer. Others thought that it was a ludicrous idea to have them there. Murdoch didn't really care one way or the other. As long as he was able to get around without being spotted, he could care less about what they do, as long as they don't hurt anyone. Lately, Skylar's forces had been going around just asking people if they had seen him. Murdoch worried that someone would actually give him away and reveal his location, but ever since the Digital Bean, they saw Murdoch as a hero and friend. Albeit, a goofy hero and strange friend, but a hero and friend nonetheless. As such, they never told about him.  
At the moment, Murdoch was over at Tom's house, trying out a suit that he had made for Murdoch. Tom had heard about what happened over at the Digital Bean and decided that Murdoch needed some sort of edge. So he created this suit.  
"So what do you think Murdoch?" Murdoch was looking at the suit with intense admiration.  
"Tom, this suit is amazing"  
"It can protect you from most types of bullets, but it's not completely bullet-proof. For instance, it won't protect you from shotgun blasts. However, it is waterproof. And it's insulated, so electricity is no problem for you. And if you press this button here..." He pressed the indicated button right over Murdoch's heart. "It makes you almost completely invisible." Murdoch had a tingling sensation spread from his heart outward. He actually felt like he was invisible.  
"What do you mean 'almost invisible"  
"Well, you'll be invisible to anyone who isn't really paying attention. But to anyone who is really trying to find you, you'll be seen. You'll also be seen if they use thermal goggles or anything that can see heat"  
"Tom, this is awesome! You have outdone yourself"  
"Not really. I made this suit when I was still working for Skylar. In fact, a lot of stuff I plan on giving you was made at Skylar"  
"Not by Skylar, I hope"  
"Nope. At Skylar"  
"Thanks"  
"Leave it here and I'll see if I can tweak it further. Also, I'll make a special coat that'll come in handy someday"  
"Alright"  
Murdoch left feeling strange. Almost as if... as if his body was too small. Like he couldn't fit.  
He knew it was a strange thing to be feeling, but then again, was anything involving him not strange? He walked back to the house using a secret path he had discovered. He had been using it for awhile now. It was perfectly hidden in some underbrush, conveniently hiding him from anyone who was looking for him. In fact, the only way you could probably find it was if you stumbled onto it like he had. It also wound its way across most of Hillridge, mainly between the McGuires and Tom's apartment, his usual places of contact. When he got close to the house, his sharp hearing picked up party music and his sensitive nose picked up the scent of alcohol. No doubt, a party was taking place in the absence of the parents.  
One thing that bothered him though, was the fact that Lizzie and her friends didn't drink beer. He remembered though that one of them did. And she had a lot of older college friends.  
When he reached the backyard, his eyes confirmed what his logical thinking had been telling him. A party was indeed happening. The kicker though, was that the person who threw it was no doubt Kate Sanders. Murdoch had remembered what Lizzie told him about Kate She was obnoxious and snobby, but parents always believed her. She had sex, drank beer, did drugs, anything that was wrong or immoral, she did. Apparently, Lizzie also owed her something, though she never specified what. And it seemed as though Miss Sanders was taking advantage of that.  
The entire backyard was filled with college age hooligans who obviously were drunk beyond rational thought. Murdoch's senses were overloaded with the sight, smell, and sound of drunken speech, breath, vomit, musk, and sex. It was getting to be unbearable. He made his way to the house only to be greeted with even more drunken party-goers. He eventually made his way up the stairs,  
determined to find Lizzie and Matt. He checked Matt's room first. Thankfully, it was void of anyone except the boy, who was trying to ignore the party by playing on his computer.  
"Matt"  
"Murdoch"  
"Matt, what's going on"  
"A party, what else"  
"But I thought your parents said no wild parties"  
"They did, but they didn't think that Kate would drop by"  
"What is with this Kate"  
"Lizzie owes her something, but she never said what"  
"Right. Listen, stay here, I'm going to go find Lizzie, alright"  
"Alright." And with that, Murdoch left the room and continued down the hall towards Lizzie's room. He didn't really expect to find anyone, thinking she would probably be downstairs mingling with the drunkards. He opened the door to find a boy in his early 20's kissing Lizzie sloppily. Lizzie was laying there, looking like she could care less.  
The boy turned towards Murdoch, thinking he was another party-goer.  
"Hey man, wanna score with this chick too"  
Murdoch just walked over to Lizzie and looked her over. There was no doubt in his mind that somebody, probably this jackass, had slipped her the date rape dug. He whirled around and gave this guy a punch to the face, breaking his nose, and making him fly off the bed. The idiot was a little disoriented at first but once he got his bearings, he got up and pulled out a knife from his back pocket, charging at Murdoch. Murdoch simply stepped to the side, and let him fall to the floor. The thug got up again for another attack but stopped when the he saw .45 auto being pointed at him.  
"Get out." said Murdoch with a voice that would frighten the devil. The thug got the idea and ran for dear life. Murdoch checked over Lizzie one last time before he left her, hoping that no one would bother her, and went downstairs to find Kate. She was sitting on the couch, flirting with two boys. Murdoch decided to interrupt.  
"Excuse me, Miss Sanders"  
"Why hello, handsome." she said, obviously having trouble forming coherent sentences.  
"This party's over"  
"Over? What do you mean over"  
"Over." He walked to where the large extension cord was and pulled it from the socket. The music stopped and everyone looked at him with murderous eyes. Kate stumbled over and tried to slap him, succeeding only hitting air.  
"Now listen up. This party is officially over. Anyone who doesn't agree with this can take it up with my good friend, Mr .45. Got it?" The kids grumbled their way out the door. They may have been drunk, but they knew what a gun was capable of doing. Kate however, was not about to back down.  
"You have no right just... interrupt a party like that. And you can't just wave a gun around. That's illegal"  
Murdoch said nothing. He simply walked over to her, grabbed her neck with one hand, lifted her off the ground and squeezed. It wasn't enough to really hurt her, but it was enough to knock her out for a few hours and leave her with a splitting headache when she woke up. He laid her on the couch and started cleaning up the house. The parents would be home tomorrow from their camping trip away from the kids, and there would be hell to pay if they saw this.

Murdoch worked through the night cleaning the house, making sure everything was back where it was and spotless. Lizzie woke up and came down the stairs to find Murdoch once again making breakfast. She knew that he had seen the house last night. But she couldn't remember when he came in.  
"Good morning, Lizzie. Sleep well"  
"Well enough. Murdoch, did you see the house last night"  
"Yeah, and I gotta say that Kate Sanders is a bitch"  
"That she is. What happened? I don't really remember"  
"Well, I imagined that it went the way all parties do. Until I showed up. You lucked out. Someone slipped you the date rape drug and tried to 'score' with you"  
"Did he"  
"No. I showed up before that happened. After I saved you, I went downstairs and stopped the party, knocked out Sanders, cleaned up and then dropped her off at her parents house"  
"Thanks"  
"No problem. Lizzie, your going to have to explain some things to me. Just last week, she was your friend. And now she's using you. You say that you owe her something but you refuse to say what. Now tell me the truth"  
Lizzie hesitated, unsure of wether she should answer, but then decided that if she didn't tell someone, she'd explode. She began...

I'm back and with one hell of a chapter. I figured what with all the time I haven't updated, I'd give you one big chap. Till next time... kikiki... mamama...


	10. The truth and a problem

Frenetic Amnesic I'm back. And I'm sorry about the absence. I got lazy and I had writers block. You see, I write highlights of the chapters in a little notebook. Big things that will happen, and then I type the actual story around those major points. But I lost the notebook and spent all of my time since the last update looking for it. But I found it, and now I can write again. Also, I'm going to have a new style of preview. I'll monologue a little at the end. These monologues will have little hints in them as to what will happen. Anime fans who watch the show Trigun on Cartoon Network's adult swim will recognize this.  
A note: a highly skilled writer named Hacen, has returned to If you have not read his stories: The Road to Where We Are and Madeline, then I suggest you go do it now. Go now. Read them. That's an order. GO NOW! Done? Okay. On with the story

Lizzie sat down at the table across from Murdoch and began to tell him what had caused the enmity between her and Kate Sanders.

"Remember the Digital Bean incident"  
"How could I forget? I was the one getting shot at, remember"  
"Oh, yeah. Well, the day after the incident, I was still a little rattled. So I went to the lake to calm myself down. I was out there for awhile, by the time I decided to leave, it was dark, and I was tired. I got in my car and was driving home when I... when I "  
Something had obviously happened to upset her very badly when trying to remember it.  
Murdoch could only guess at what.  
"Lizzie. Did you hit someone"  
She nodded. The tears were falling hard and Murdoch himself began to cry silently, tears streaming down well worn paths from a certain previous loss. Death was still difficult to deal with even if that person was someone you didn't know personally. He walked over and hugged her in his arms.  
"It was a little boy. He died. I killed him." She cried even harder now. Murdoch had noticed how she was acting since the Digital Bean incident. She was always tired like she didn't sleep at night, her eyes were always red and puffy, and she always looked a little gaunt. He also remembered that a young boy had been killed in a hit and run earlier that week. Now he knew how.  
"This still doesn't explain the thing with you and Kate"  
"She saw it happen. She threatened to tell the police that I did it. She said she'd tell them if I didn't become her personal slave. I panicked, so I agreed. She's been making me do horrible things.  
She made me have sex with some fat ugly slob." Murdoch gasped. 'That bitch.' he thought.  
"But the worst part about it was that she had made a mask out of a picture of Gordo, so it would look like it was him"  
Murdoch didn't want to hear anymore. He let go of Lizzie and walked over to the living room. He decided right then and there that he had to help Lizzie, but how? He then came up with a rather brilliant plan. He got up to tell Lizzie about it, but had only taken two steps when an unbearable pain gripped his heart and forced him to the floor. It hurt so bad. It felt like his heart and lungs were being crushed. He puked blood and passed out, letting the darkness take him...

Strength. Strength comes in many different ways. The strength to lift a heavy object. The strength to admit your love for someone. But true strength comes from admitting your mistakes and having the will to rectify them. If we all had this strength, we would be better off. Murdoch has tremendous strength in many ways. He has made it his mission to pass this strength on to as many people as possible, and to teach them a better way of life, through love. The man with the sword and handgun, despite his appearance, wishes for a peaceful life away from pain. And he is willing to show his true strength to get it. But as he does he questions himself. "Am I strong enough? Can I do it? Will I do it?" 


End file.
